Humankind

Move over Civilization, there's a new strategy sheriff in town, and it's called Humankind. Amplitude Studios knocked this out of the park.

I know, it seems obvious, easy and perfunctory to start a review of Humankind by immediately referencing Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, but what else can you do? After all, games like Humankind and, recently, Old World, are essentially banking on the fact that players know the mechanics of the Civ games. It shortens the learning curve and allows longtime 4X veterans to focus on the new elements that games like Humankind bring to the table. And Humankind does, indeed, add a handful of new ingredients to what has long been a pretty standard recipe.

Play as various cultures as humankind transcends the eras in this Civilization-inspired game. Feeling both familiar and innovative at the same time, Humankind is sure to keep you playing for one more turn. Read our Humankind review.

The most direct challenger to Civilization yet is full of brilliant ideas which could yet change the genre, although bugs and underdeveloped features occasionally get in the way of the fun.

I am a huge fan of Amplitude; the developer has proven itself repeatedly with its Endless series of titles. It was no secret that if I trusted any studio to make a challenger to Civilization, Amplitude would be that studio. This was more than clear in my previews of the game, both hands-off and hands-on. This was my original intro for the review of Humankind. Still, due to personal circumstances and a fair amount of procrastination, on top of that, I've not actually written the review until after launch.

HUMANKIND is a well-made civilisation game that happens to do the exact thing Civilization VI does, except for additional modes, Sean Bean’s voice, and popularity.

Strategy games have come a long way, and Amplitude aims to push it further with Humankind, their latest 4X offering. But how does it stack up and does it do anything meaningful to help push the 4X genre along?

In going historical and ditching traditional factions, Humankind can’t quite rival the blooming personality of the Endless games while some of its aspects – like diplomacy and ideologies – remain undercooked. Its approach to cultures does, however, offer more playstyle flexibility than its peers, and advancing to a new Era always feels like an event. There’s plenty to look after too while the gradual progress of technology is reflected both in warfare and peacetime, as infrastructu...

Humankind is ambitious in size, scale, and scope, allowing you to try out multiple combinations of cultures as you progress through various eras. However, it's also hampered by limitations in certain mechanics and systems that don't mesh well with the overall gameplay.

A solid 4X that could use a bit more personality.

Humankind is the newest game in the 4X genre, coming to us from veteran 4X developer Amplitude Studios. Its previous titles, Endless Space and Endless Legend, have been positively received, but the studio has said that they see Humankind as their magnum opus. They’ve certainly been working hard to make it so: running several Betas and working with its players for feedback and new ideas, it seems to want to reach for the skies… skies that have until now been dominated by Sid Meier’s Civi...

Humankind is a flawed but fascinating attempt to reinvent the Civilization-style 4X strategy game.